Waters Closed After ‘Aggressive’ Shark Bumps Surfer

The waters between Beach Boulevard and the Huntington Beach Pier will remain closed from now until 8 a.m. on Saturday after lifeguards say a great white shark “bumped” a surfer on Friday morning.

No one was being allowed in the water from Beach Boulevard to the pier, and state parks officials were doing the same on their portion of the shore, Panis said.

But the shark’s behavior was so aggressive that marine officials had no other option, he said. The beach, however, remains open.

Lifeguards posted beach closure signs and told swimmers and surfers to get out of the water by using lifeguards on personal watercrafts and a rescue boat. Authorities deemed the report “credible” and immediately closed the waters.

The closure left many beachgoers surprised and disappointed as some planned to surf and receive lifeguard training.

“The ocean is like a big wilderness”, Panis told the Los Angeles Times.

Juvenile sharks continue to be sighted off the coast of Orange County. In the past, the sharks have not been aggressive and have not attacked humans. New research finds shark attacks are 90 percent less likely in California now than they were in the 1950s. Researchers note there might also be fewer sharks in the water, but their populations are hard to track so that’s unclear.